Academy Fellow

Adam Possamai is an internationally recognised sociologist of religion. He is renowned for the creation of concepts such as hyper-real religions and the i-zation of society, and for authoring and editing leading academic publications. He has published more than 100 refereed articles/chapters, more than a dozen of research monographs and edited books, and the Sage Encyclopedia of Sociology of Religion (two volumes). The latter has close to 500 entries and 600,000 words, and more than 200 international contributors participated in this project.

For over 20 years, he has contributed to the celebration of religious diversity in Australia through his publications and engagement through the lens of post-secular theory. This work is summarised in his 2022 monograph on Religion and Change in Australia published by Routledge and is a key reading on the current state of religion in this country.

Possamai is also committed to the development and contribution of the social sciences. Through his leadership work in associations and involvement in various textbooks, Possamai is using the tools from social sciences to educate and challenge understandings of religion, especially among the younger generations which report a lower level of religious literacy than their counterparts. His work provides social scientific understandings when dealing with, and reflecting on, religion as it has re-entered the public sphere. As an educator and public advocate, he is committed to both freedom of, and from, religion.

He was a visiting professor at the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (in 2013 and 2018), and the Summer Institute of Hokkaido University, Japan. He is a member of the ARC College of Experts (2022-2024) and a frequent grant assessor for various scientific organisations in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK. 

Possamai was the 2010-14 President of the Research Committee 22 (RC22) on the Sociology of Religion from the International Sociological Association, and the 2004-2005 President of the Australian Association for the Study of Religions. He coordinated twice the sociology of religion program for the World Congress of Sociology (South Africa and Sweden). He chaired three times the Australian Sociological Association’s panel for the best thesis in sociology. He is currently representing Australasia on the council of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion.

Possamai is an engaged academic who translates complex theories and concepts for the benefit of a lay audience, and is regularly sought out by journalists regarding religious and social issues. He has provided expert commentary for more than 100 news items published by a range of major media outlets. His work also has a direct impact on popular culture as he incorporates his research into novels, of which he has published five.

Deputy Dean, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University

1. Possamai, A., J. Richardson, and B. Turner eds. (2023) The Sociology of Shari’a: Case Studies from Around the World (2nd Edition), Springer, Leiden.
2. Possamai, A. and D. Tittensor (2022) Religion and Change in Australia, Routledge, London.
3. Possamai, A. (2018) The i-zation of Society, Religion, and Neoliberal Post-Secularism, Palgrave McMillan, Basingstoke.
4. Possamai, A. and A. Blasi eds. (2020) The Sage Encyclopaedia of the Sociology of Religion (Two volumes), Sage, London.
5. Possamai, A. ed. (2012) Handbook of Hyper-Real Religion, Brill, Leiden.